Wave-power apparatus.



No. 768,701. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. J. H. SMITH.

WAVE POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13. 1903. RENEWED MAR. 12, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 768,701. I PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. J. H. SMITH.

WAVE POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 1a. 1903. RENEWED MAR. 12, 1904.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented August 30, 1904 PATENT Trice.

JOHN HENRY SMITH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-POWER APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 768,701, dated August30, 1904.

Application filed January 1'3, 1903. Renewed March 12, 1904. Serial No.197,887. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN HENRY SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented an Improved l/Vave-Power Apparatus, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention belongs to that class of wavepower machines in which aweighted float, de-

sirably a vessel partly filled with water, is

made to rotate a wheel or pulley by means of a vertical connectionattached to a ratchetclutch.

, An object of this invention is to provide an extremely simple,durable, and compact apparatus.

Another object is to provide an apparatus I which may be quickly andeasily adjusted to the different states of the body ofwater upon whichit is used, thereby to at all times utilize approximately the entirelifting force which the waves exert upon the floats and yet be protectedfrom injury by storms.

A further object is to provide means which will admit of the free riseand fall of the floats, but will at the same time secure said floatsfrom being swept out of place by the force of the waves during a storm.

Another object is to provide a device in which the power may betransmitted at a comparatively high speed from the driving means, thusmaking it unnecessary to employ any considerable amount of gearing.

WVith these and other objects in view my improved apparatus consists ina series of cooperating wave-power devices each comprising a rotatablewheel, preferably about thirty feet in diameter, vertically mounted upona suitable, wharf or pier, each wheel being provided with a quick-actingratchet-clutch, a suitable gearing, a weighted float, and a suit: ableconnection leading from said float to the ratchet-clutch.

This invention also consists in the separate devices, combinations, anddetails of construction, which will be more fully described inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a side'elevation of one of the wave-power devices constructed in accordancewith myinvention. Fig. IIis a plan of Fig. I. Fig. III is a diagram, ona reduced scale, of an entire apparatus embodying my invention. Fig.IVis an end elevation of one of the wavepower devices. Figs. V and VIare sections of the ratchet-clutch taken, respectively, on lines V V andVI VI of Fig. VII. Fig. VII is a fragmental mid-section of adrivingwheel, showing the hub thereof with one of the ratchet-clutchesoperatively connected therewith.

Upon a suitable pier 1 is mounted a series of independent wave-powerdevices 2. Said devices each includes a stationary shaft or axle 3, uponwhichis mounted ahub or revoluble part I, furnished with a metalextension 5, having an inner periphery provided with teeth 6.

7 designates a spring returned ratchetclutch furnished with a connection8, partially coiled therearound. Said connection leads to a yoke 99,which is attached by a pin 10 to a bar 11. Said bar is provided with aseries of holes 12..

13 is a clevis adapted to be fastened to the yoke 9 by the pin 10, orthe clevis may be adjustably fastened to said bar by means of anadditional pin 14:, inserted through the holes 12. i

15 is a lower connection and leads from the clevis 13 to a weightedfloat 16. I

The ratchet-clutch 7 is provided with a collar a, keyed to thestationary shaft 3 and having the inner end of a spiral spring 6attached thereto at 0. The outer end of said spring is attached at d tothe inside of a hollow pulley e, which is fixed to a base f, beingrotatably mounted together therewith on the stationary shaft 3. To saidbase f is attached a dogholder' g by screws it, one at each end thereof.Said screws h form pivots for oppositely-disposed dogs or pawls i j.Means are provided for swinging said dogs simultaneously outward intoengagement with the teeth 6. Said means includes a dog-shift 76, formedin two parts an n, and caused to frictionally embrace the stationaryshaft 3 by means of tensionsprings 0, mounted on screws p. Each dog ispivotally connected with the adjacent end of the dog-shift by means of ashift-pin q.

At the beginning of the downward movement of the float 16 theclutch-operating connection 8 will begin to rotate the hollow pulley cand the base f, fixed thereto, against the resistance of the spiralspring 7). This movement will tend to rotate the dog-shift l; upon thestationary shaft 3. Since said dogshift frictionally engages the shaft,it will at first remain stationary thereon and will therefore moverelatively to the rotating dog-holder g, thus causing the shift-pins toswing the dogs 2' outward into engagement with the teeth 6 of the metaltoothed extension 5. As soon as the dogs begin to engage said teeth thedog-shift 1: will be compelled to rotate upon the shaft 3 until thefloat 16 reaches the end of its downward movement. When said floatbegins to rise, the spiral spring 6 takes up the slack in theclutch-operating connection 8, and the dogs are withdrawn fromengagement with the teeth by a movement the reverse of that justdescribed.

1'? designates a safety-stop limiting the downward movement of the bar11 to prevent the weight of the float from extending the spiral spring7) so far as to injure it.

A pair of unequal driving-pulleys 18 19 is provided for each wave-powerdevice, the smaller pulley, 18,to be used in heavy weather, the largerone, 19, being provided for calm seas. Further adaptation to the stateof the sea is to be secured by suspending the float at various pointsalong the length of bar 11 by means of clevis 13 and pin 14L, insertedthrough holes 12. A series of driven pulleys 20, arranged in pairs alongthe revoluble shaft 21, are provided to be connected with pulleys 18 or19 by means of suitable belts 22.

23 designates a gear-pulley whereby the power may be transmitted,through a belt 24:, to a dynamo from which electrical energy may beconveyed by wires '20.

Thedriving-pulleys 18 19 may be made very large as compared with thedriven pulleys 20. Since said driving-pulleys are fixed one to each sideof the fly-wheel, a compact rotary frame is thereby formed which is welladapted to stand the severe strains put upon the wavepowermachinery.This arrangement also secures a high speed without making the drivenpulleys unduly small or resorting to an extended train of gearing.

For clearness of illustration in Fig. V the ratchet-teeth are made fewin number as compared with what will be necessary in the size of clutchused in actual practice.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. In a wave power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a return for said clutch, a weighted float, and means independent of theclutch, limiting the downward movement of the float.

2. In a wave -power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a spring-return for said clutch, a weighted float, and

means independent of the clutch limiting the downward movement of thefloat.

3. In a wave power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a return for said clutch, a weighted float, means operatively connectingthe clutch and float, a safety-stop, and means adapted to engage saidstop to limit the downward movement of the float.

4. In a wave power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a return for said clutch, a weighted float, a safety-stop, and. apivoted bar adapted to engage said stop to limit the downward movementof the float.

5. In a wave power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a spring-return for said clutch, a weighted float, means operativelyconnecting the clutch and float, a safety-stop, and a pivoted baradapted to engage said stop to limit the downward movement of the float.

6. In a wave power, in combination, a wheel, a ratchet-clutch therefor,a spring-return for said clutch, a weighted float, a connection betweenthe clutch and the float, a pivoted bar, means adjustable lengthwise thebar for attaching the bar to the connection, and a stop limiting thedownward movement of the bar.

7. In a wave-power, in combination, a pier, a wheel mounted thereon, aratchet-clutch for said wheel, a spring for returning said clutch, apivoted bar, a stop limiting the downward movement thereof, a yokemounted on said bar, a connection between said yoke and clutch, a float,and means adapted to suspend the float from the yoke.

8. In a wave-power, in combination, a pier, a pulley mounted thereon, atoothed hub rigidly connected with said pulley, a ratchetclutch forsaid. hub, a spring for returning said clutch, a pivoted bar, a stoplimiting the downward movement of said bar, a yoke mounted on said bar,a connection between said yoke and clutch, a clcvis adapted to beattached to the yoke, means for adjustabl y attaehi ng the clevis to thebar independently of the yoke, a float, and a connection between thefloat and the clevis.

9. In a wave-power, in combination, apier, a stationary shaft supportedthereby, a pulley rotatably mounted on said shaft, a part having atoothed inner periphery and fixed to said pulley to rotate therewith onsaid shaft, a collar fixed to said shaft, a member having a-limitedrotation on said shaft and adapted to act as a driven pulley, aresilient connection between said member and said collar tending toreturn the member to its normal position, a pair of oppositely-disposeddogs carried by said member, means for simultaneously throwing said,dogs into engagement with the toothed inner periphery of theaforementioned part, a pivoted bar, a stop limitingthe downward movementthereof, a yoke mounted on said bar, a

connection fastened to the yoke andhaving an end fastened to and coiledupon the aforementioned member, a clevis adapted to be attached to theyoke, means for adjustably attaching the clevis to the bar independentlyof the yoke, a float, and a connection between the float and the clevis.

10. In awave-power, in combination, a suitable pier, a stationary axle,a fly-wheel rotatably mounted thereon, a pulley fixed to one side ofsaid fiy-wheel and having a periphery concentric with the fly-wheel andadjacent to the periphery thereof, a pulley of smaller diameter than thefirst-named pulley and fastened to the other side of thefly-wh'eelconcentric therewith, a hub for the fly-wheel, said hub provided withratchet-teeth, a spring-returned ratchet-clutch operatively connectedwith the ratchet-teeth of the hub, a weighted floatyaflexible connectionleading therefrom to the ratchet-clutch, and means for keeping the floatin place.

11. In a wave-power, in combination, a suitable pier, a stationary axlemounted thereon, a fly-wheel rotatably mounted on said axle, a pulleyfixed to rotate with said fly-wheel on one side thereof, another pulleyof smaller diameter than the first-named pulley and rotating with thefly-wheel at the other side thereof, a hub on each side of thefly-wheel, said hub provided with ratchet-teeth, a springreturnedratchet-clutch operatively connected with the ratchet-teeth of each hub,a pair of weighted floats, power-transmitting means connecting eachfloat to the ratchetclutch on that side of the fly-wheel, and means forkeeping said floats in place.

12. In a wave-power, in combination, a suitable, pier, a stationary axlesupported thereby, a fly-wheel rotatably mounted on said axle, a

' pulley fixed to one side of the fly-wheel, a

metal extension fixed to said fly-wheel on the same side as the pulleyand provided with a toothed inner periphery, a spring-returnedratchet-clutch fastened to the axle and having a pair ofoppositely-disposed pawls in operative connection with the teeth in theextension, a weighted float, and a connection leading therefrom to theratchet-clutch whereby said clutch is rotated when the float fails.

13. In a wave-power, in combination, a suitable pier, a stationary axlesupported thereby, a fly-wheel rotatably mounted on said axle, meansmoving With the fly-wheel to transmit power therefrom, a metal extensionfixed to the hub of said fly-wheel and provided with a toothed innerperiphery, a weighted float, a connection therefor, a ratchet-clutchhaving a collar keyed to the axle and a part movable with relation tothe axle, a spring connection between the movable part and the collar, apair of oppositely-disposed pawls mounted-on the movable part, and meanssimultaneously swinging said pawls outward into engagement with theteeth of the extension at the beginning of the fall of the float.

14:. In a wave-power, in combination, a pier, a stationary axlesupported thereby, a Wheel rotatably mounted on said axle, a metalextension lixed to the hub of said Wheel and provided with a toothedinner periphery, a weighted float, a power-transmittingconnectiontherefor, a set of piles embracing said float to keep it in place, aratchet-clutch having a collar keyed to the aforementioned axle, and apart movable with relation to said axle, a resilient connection betweenthe movable part and the collar and tending to resist their relativerotation, a pair of oppositely-disposed dogs mounted on the movablepart, and means simultaneously throwing said dogs into engagement withthe teeth of the hub at ginning of the fall of the float.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of three subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, in the countyof Los Angeles and State of California, this 7th day of January, 1908.

JOHN HENRY SMITH.

the be-

